Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SUNDAY BEST
Save yourself a bailout of euros by visiting the Pinakotheken, Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Mu-
seum Brandhorst, the Glyptothek, Sammlung Schack, Archäologische Staatssammlung or the Staat-
liches Museum für Völkerkunde on a Sunday when admission is reduced to a symbolic €1 at each.
FRAUENKIRCHE & AROUND
Frauenkirche
(Church of Our Lady; Frauenplatz 1; €2; 7am-7pm Sat-Wed, 7am-8.30pm Thu,
7am-6pm Fri)
The landmark Frauenkirche, built between 1468 and 1488, is Munich's spir-
itual heart and the Mt Everest among its churches. No other building in the central city may
stand taller than its onion-domed twin towers, which reach a sky-scraping 99m. From April
to October, you can enjoy panoramic city views from the
south tower
.
Bombed to bits in WWII, the reconstruction is a soaring passage of light but otherwise
fairly spartan. Of note is the epic cenotaph of Ludwig the Bavarian just past the entrance
and the bronze plaques of Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor John Paul II affixed to
nearby pillars.
CHURCH
Michaelskirche
(Church of St Michael; Kaufingerstrasse 52; crypt admission €2; crypt 9.30am-4.30pm
Mon-Fri, 9.30am-2.30pm Sat & Sun; Karlsplatz, Karlsplatz, Karlsplatz)
It stands
quiet and dignified amid the retail frenzy out on Kaufingerstrasse, but to fans of Ludwig II,
the Michaelskirche is the ultimate place of pilgrimage. Its dank
crypt
is the final resting
place of the Mad King, whose humble tomb is usually drowned in flowers.
Completed in 1597, St Michael was the largest Renaissance church north of the Alps and
boasts an impressive unsupported barrel-vaulted ceiling. The massive bronze statue
between the two entrances shows the Archangel finishing off a dragonlike creature, a clas-
sic Counter Reformation-era symbol of Catholicism triumphing over Protestantism. The
building has been, and is set to be, under heavy renovation for years.
CHURCH
